Great Horned Owl (Hoot Owl, Tiger Owl)

The Great Horned Owl is a powerful, heavily built nocturnal predator featuring prominent ear tufts, bright yellow eyes, and a deep hooting call. It is one of the most adaptable and widely distributed owls in the Americas.

Mottled grey, brown, and black barrings with a distinct dark terminal band and pale grayish-brown background, characteristic of cryptic coloration

Highly specialized velvety/plumulaceous structure with very loose, hair-like barbules lacking rigid hooklets on the upper sections, contributing to silent flight, with an intact but frayed appearance

Exceptionly soft, velvety, and matte in texture with no gloss, designed to absorb sound rather than reflect light

Exceptionally soft, velvety barbs lacking rigid hooklets on the edges, mottled brown and grey coloration, and a distinct dark terminal band

Extremely adaptable, found in deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, deserts, wetlands, agricultural areas, and urban parks

Widespread throughout the Americas, ranging from the subarctic regions of North America down through Central America to South America

Apex nocturnal avian predator playing a critical role in controlling populations of rodents, rabbits, and other small mammals

Barred Owl (Strix varia) and Long-eared Owl (Asio otus), which share similar mottled brown patterns and soft silent-flight modifications

Great Horned Owls possess asymmetrical ear openings that allow them to pinpoint prey in complete darkness with pinpoint accuracy, and they are known to exert a crushing grip force of up to 500 pounds per square inch.

Good overall condition, intact rachis, with slight fraying along the loose barbs typical of naturally molted contour feathers